Arvell Reese hasn’t been recruited by Ohio State for all that long.
The four-star 2023 Ohio linebacker received an offer from the Buckeyes in March after seeing his stock rise both on the field and academically. Once OSU offered, offers from Penn State, Michigan, Nebraska and Iowa quickly followed.
In the months since, Ohio State has been one of the schools recruiting Reese the hardest among the 25 Division I teams that have offered him a scholarship.
The 6-foot-3, 212-pound linebacker speaks with Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles either every day or every other day. His high school, Glenville, has a well-established history of sending players to Ohio State, with 21 Tarblooders playing for the Buckeyes from 2002 to 2017. Reese even said he feels pressure from those close to his circle to become the first Glenville player to commit to the Buckeyes in more than five years.
“There’s definitely a lot of pressure there,” Reese said of talking with fellow Glenville players and coaches. “Definitely a lot of guys remind me all the time, ‘Hey, you can go to Ohio State.’”
This all sounds like it has the recipe of Reese committing to Ohio State in the immediate future. Nevertheless, the late-rising linebacker is going to take his recruitment the distance. He will not take any official visits until after his senior season at Glenville concludes, though he is considering visiting OSU for the Sept. 3 season opener against Notre Dame and then making an official visit for a later game.
“It’ll definitely be late since my recruitment started late,” Reese said of when he’ll make his decision. “So it’ll probably be around November or December.”
While Reese will explore all of his options over the next few months, the Buckeyes are the heavy favorite to land the linebacker, primarily because of his local connection and the relationship with the coaching staff.
“I would say relationships, like I said, that's the school that’s really recruited me the most,” Reese said of the most appealing thing of playing for the Buckeyes. “Also, it’s Ohio State. I’m from Ohio and I play for Glenville. It’s Ohio State, what else can you say?”
Reese camped at Ohio State along with a bunch of his Glenville teammates on Tuesday. Glenville has been taking its players on a bus tour of camps this summer, stopping at schools such as Alabama, Michigan, Toledo, Tennessee and Tennessee State.
Reese didn’t have to make the trip to OSU with an offer already in hand. But he wanted to get a glimpse of what being coached by Ohio State’s staff would be like.
Another Glenville product with an Ohio State offer working out today is four-star linebacker Arvell Reese (@arvxll). pic.twitter.com/dV7hEslFmL
— Garrick Hodge (@Garrick_Hodge) June 14, 2022
“Just to get a feel of how the coaches are,” Reese said of why he camped with OSU. “To learn some things from coaches. Coach Knowles has a great legacy. I wanted to pick his mind a little bit.”
Knowles was by Reese’s side for the majority of the day. The Glenville linebacker said OSU’s defensive coordinator is “intense” and taught him a few things he didn’t know. Reese said Knowles told him he likes the sideline-to-sideline quickness Reese displays on the field and has already started talking about where he fits in the defensive scheme.
“They see me as an inside linebacker,” Reese said. “Blitzing off the edge on third downs, but being an inside linebacker on first and second down. I like playing all over the place. Coming up to the edge and blitzing and sitting in coverage. ”
Arvell Reese runs the circle drill. pic.twitter.com/3ZoU3myfL2
— Garrick Hodge (@Garrick_Hodge) June 14, 2022
Reese says Michigan, Penn State, Cincinnati and West Virginia are the other schools who have shown the most interest in him other than Ohio State.
If the Buckeyes can land Reese, it could help Ohio State land another top target as well. Four-star Glenville cornerback Bryce West is quickly emerging as Ohio State’s top defensive back priority for the 2024 cycle and has long maintained a close relationship with Reese.
“Me and Bryce, we talk all the time about the opportunities that we’ve got,” Reese said. “We definitely will want to team up in college.”
A commitment from Reese would only bolster OSU’s chances of landing West, which certainly weren’t small to begin with.
“That’s my boy,” West said. “We’ve basically got every same offer. We got the same top five, top 10. I talk to him every day, grew up with him since I was six. I’ve been playing football with him since I was six, he’s like a big brother to me.”
With a decision months away for Reese, he’s taking the time to prepare for his senior year and enjoy his final high school season.
“Ever since I got to Glenville, there’s been nothing but blessings,” Reese said. “Good grades, opportunities and of course being mentored by all the good coaches there.”
